During courtesy call…
COMMONWEALTH Secretary General, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma and Chairman of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally, have pledged to maintain the cordial and working relationships between their institutions.

Commonwealth Secretary General Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, left, and GECOM’s Chairman Mr. Steve Surujbally.

The pledge is towards enhancing the efficient conduct of electoral processes in this country and, by extension, the other member States of the Commonwealth, said a GECOM press release.

The release said they gave the undertaking during a July 2 courtesy call Sharma paid on Surujbally.

It said the overriding objective of the thrust is to share expertise and experiences pertaining to preparations for the conduct of elections in accordance with international best practice.

The release said, during meaningful discussions, Surujbally updated Sharma on the status of GECOM’s current focus pertaining to (1) the finalising of the National Register of Registrants (NRR); (2) preparations for the conduct of a Claims and Objections (C&O) exercise, as a prerequisite for the holding of local government elections and (3) comprehensive preparations for the holding of the upcoming elections.

The release said Surujbally also discussed matters associated with the 2006 General and Regional Elections, as well as the elections which will become due in 2011.

According to the release, Surujbally expressed sincere gratitude, on behalf of the entire Commission and its Secretariat, for the important role of the Commonwealth Secretariat in contributing to the success of the 2006 General and Regional Elections.

Such contributions included the delegation of senior technical consultants like Mr. Keith Hathaway; Needs Assessor, Dr Afari-Gyan; Joint International Technical Assessor and Adviser (JITA) and Mr. Tim Neale, media consultant.

The release added that Surujbally assured Sharma and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as a whole, that the experiences shared will be put to good use as GECOM and its Secretariat continue to carry out their mandate over the coming years and with the continuous support of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

It said Sharma acknowledged the commitment of GECOM and its Secretariat in administering the 2006 General and Regional Elections in a peaceful and efficient manner.

He recalled that the proficient manner in which those elections were conducted was commended by local organisations and the international development partners and observers.

According to the release, Sharma gave Surujbally the assurance that the Commonwealth Secretariat stands ready to be of further assistance to GECOM and of its continuing support, in every possible way, pertaining to the preparations for administering elections in Guyana.

When he called on Surujbally, Sharma was accompanied by Mr. Simon Dimson, Head of the Office of the Secretary General; Ms. Juliet Solomon, Political Advisor and Ms. Yvonne Chin, spokesperson.